M&S and the ‘no possibilities’ test

Claims for group relief for the losses of companies in the group in other EU Member States must meet the condition that the possibilities for past, present and future use of the losses locally must be exhausted. The Supreme Court has concluded, in the latest stage of the M&S case, that the date upon which that condition must be met is the date of the claim and not, as HMRC has advocated, the end of the accounting period in which the loss was incurred. Steps taken by taxpayers, such as the liquidation of the loss making subsidiary, will not exclude the making of a claim.